Walmart has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over protests led and inspired by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
The move by Walmart comes as some workers have announced a strike on Black Friday — the busiest day of the year for retailers.
Filing with the NLRB suggests that the protests have caught the attention of Wal-Mart, which has no union-represented workers in the United States.
OUR Walmart and another group, Making Change at Walmart, are affiliated with the UFCW, which represents more than 1 million workers including many at retailers that compete with Walmart. According to a filing with the Labor Department, OUR Walmart was a subsidiary of the UFCW as of 2011. It is unclear whether it remains a subsidiary or has legally separated from the union.
“The fact that Wal-Mart is responding in such a public way is itself both unusual and indicative that they truly don’t want to see this spread,” Shaiken said.
The NLRB typically receives a charge and investigates. At times, it resolves issues without issuing a complaint, spokesman Tony Wagner said. While most investigations take about six weeks, they can be expedited under certain criteria, he said.
Activities over the past year or longer “have caused disruptions to Walmart’s business, resulted in misinformation being shared publicly about our company, and created an uncomfortable environment and undue stress on Walmart’s customers, including families with children,” Walmart outside counsel Steven Wheeless said in a letter sent on Friday to Deborah Gaydos, assistant general counsel of the UFCW.
The National Labor Relations Act prohibits such picketing for more than 30 days without the filing of a representation petition. The NLRA also requires the NLRB to seek a federal court injunction against such activity, the letter states.
The OUR Walmart group of current and former Walmart employees has been organizing 1,000 protests including strikes and what it called online actions that began this week and will culminate on Black Friday.
For example, workers walked off the job in Seattle on Thursday and in Dallas on Friday, OUR Walmart said.
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart said that anyone who is not an employee is prohibited from coming onto its owned or controlled parking lots or other facilities to solicit, hand out literature or otherwise engage in any demonstration.
Wal-Mart said that it intends for the UFCW to be held accountable for any injury or property damage that may occur as a result of the actions led by the union, OUR Walmart or any of its other affiliates.
It’s ironic that during a week that has seen the closing of an American business icon due to union pressure and unreasonable demands — Hostess, Inc. - Walmart would feel the wrath of the UFCW.
Let’s face it; Walmart is not the best place in the United States to work. Wages are low, benefits are niggardly, and working conditions can be outrageous — especially at Superstores.
But nobody is holding a gun to anyone’s head to work there. Walmart has a huge problem with turnover — 50% of employees leave within a year. This is a problem that costs them hundreds of millions of dollars in training costs nationwide, not to mention creating a workplace environment that is not conducive to employee happiness or security, or the maximization of profit.
But for whatever reason, Walmart refuses to offer competitive wages, decent benefits, and good working conditions. They are almost begging the union to come in, and if the UFCW gets their foot in the door, it won’t be long before the entire company is unionized.
Walmart is well within its rights to file the complaint. But their labor practices leave much to be desired and addressing the problems in their workforce will go a long way toward keeping the UFCW from making any headway in unionizing the company.
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“But their labor practices leave much to be desired and addressing the problems in their workforce will go a long way toward keeping the UFCW from making any headway in unionizing the company.”
And we thought Murphy an optimist.
So do airline pilots have bad working conditions to justify their unionization? How about AMTRAK workers? Perhaps the DMV are the people with rotten working conditions?
Perhaps Unions get into a field only if they have the ability to keep non-union workers out. The strong ties with the Mafia helped the Teamsters prevent Italian immigrants from competing with their unions.
“So do airline pilots have bad working conditions to justify their unionization? How about AMTRAK workers? Perhaps the DMV are the people with rotten working conditions?”
I think we’re in the same binder here. Unions work their way in by any means.
“Perhaps Unions get into a field only if they have the ability to keep non-union workers out. The strong ties with the Mafia helped the Teamsters prevent Italian immigrants from competing with their unions.”
My father was an Italian immigrant and union. He thought Anastasia had been “Good for the workers.” That expression was common in NYC.
I’ve always heard it thus:
The presence of a union is a sign of poor management.
I think it is clear now. What we might be seeing here is the union movement attempting to make its comeback in the private sector so that a generation hence unionism is the default choice–by choice–just as it was done on people in academia.
The method will involve blunt intimidation tactics, and it will grow.
I think WalMart may be hunting bigger game. Unlike Boeing, they don’t do business with the government, so they can take on the NLRB and the federal regulatory agencies. If anyone believes Boeing’s rapprochement with the IAM and the NLRB was voluntary, I have a bridge for sale; Boeing’s very life was threatened by the US and they made peace. The US can’t really do that to WalMart.
So, the union-owned NLRB is going to find for the union in this complaint, of course, and WalMart is going to take it up and give the NLRB a good bitch-slapping at the USSC. That’s what Boeing could and should have done over the SC plant, but I’m confident somebody whispered in their ear that the FAA and NTSB were prepared to find every Boeing aircraft unsafe and the USDOD was never going to buy another Boeing product.
That said, Rick and everybody else should understand that retail jobs were never meant to be career jobs that supported a family and bought houses and cars. I learned to walk in a retail store. My first “real” job was as a manager for a National retailer. My dad was a “store clerk” who went on to become a partner then an owner of a retail business in the rural South. He began in the days when every county seat town in The South had several “dry goods stores” on the courthouse square, usually Jewish owned. In my little country town we had Rosenberg’s, Subbotnik’s, Ehrlich’s, Elliot’s, and Levin’s on the courthouse square. When I was a little kid my dad sold shoes for the Rosenbergs. When Mrs. Rosenberg died and the kids didn’t want the business, it was bought by Mr. Lipsitz. My dad managed stores for him and became partners with him in some. He ended his days with his own store in a small Southern town duking it out with WalMart. He got by, no more, by being where they ain’t. You can’t compete with WalMart on mass market items. He went exclusively into blue collar work clothes and shoes and specialized in what WalMart didn’t have; unusual sizes and colors. WalMart will ALWAYS have the best price on low-line work clothes in 32-40 waist, 30-32 inseam pants, S-M-L-XL long and short sleeve shirts in tan, blue, and green. If you want anything else, you have to go somewhere else and he was that somewhere else. It is an expensive way to do business because you have to either have a LOT of inventory or you have to have customers willing to both wait and pay freight, but you can stay in business that way.
But to the original point, back before kids quit working, retail was a great first job for high schoolers, a good job to help make ends meet for a college kid, a good starter job, or a good part-time job for a stay-at-home Mom, but if you were over 25 working full time in retail, and not in management, you’d probably made some bad choices in your life. This is something unions have done with lots of low-level, low-skill jobs; they’ve tried to turn them into careers and pretty much destroyed the jobs. You really shouldn’t be straigtening stock in a retail store, or making beds in a hotel, or changing bed pans in a hospital or nursing home as a career! At least not if you want a nice house, a nice car, and a flat screen in every room. Service jobs are starter jobs and, frankly, loser jobs; you have them because you’re young and have never done any better or because you’re older and you can’t do any better. At least for WalMart and other low-margin retailers there are getting to be a lot of people like me; if I wanted a job, it would be just because I want to get out of the house. I don’t need health insurance, I don’t really need the wages, and I’m not looking for a promotion. In fact, I’m seriously considering applying to Home Depot just so I can get the employee discount, and with condolences to some spoiled child out there that I’m going to deprive of a job; I don’t really have any trouble with showing up at work on the day and time I’m scheduled and doing whatever they pay me to do.
Well said! My first job (other than babysitting, detassling and housecleaning) was working in a Ben Franklin. Cleaning, straightening, cutting fabric, etc…and when I had Christmas break, they re-hired me for inventory. Three years I spent my break cleaning, dusting and counting silk flowers for minimum wage. It didn’t do me any harm and I have to admit, a special appreciation of the silk flower departments in craft stores.
Bingo! Jobs at Wal-Mart aren’t careers, they’re simply entry-level, minimum-wage McJobs.
Clearly Walmart has concluded that offering higher wages and more benefits would cost much, much more than it would save on turnover-related costs, since either set of costs has to be covered by sales revenue — and Walmart depends on its low prices to keep customers coming in.
The real reason the union wants to organize Walmart has nothing to do with wanting better conditions for its employees, but to protect the unions’ own market share of the workforce by protecting the market share of Walmart’s unionized competitors. Don’t try to sell this Trumka-ganda to PJM readers, m’kay?
Ummm! You said “niggardly”. Raaaacist!
“But for whatever reason, Walmart refuses to offer competitive wages, decent benefits, and good working conditions.”
How accurate is this description? I’ve spoken to a few local Walmart employees, and they’ve been very happy working at Walmart. I was surprised because I believed the low-wages-no-benefits storyline myself. One of them has been working for WM for 20 years, another 14. Again a surprise, because I kept hearing about how people hate working there. I asked about health benefits, and the 14-year worker said it’s great, and that her husband had a double Heart bypass and that the company paid for most of it.
Maybe it’s just the Walmart in my area in Northern California, but then that would mean that wages/benefits are not a decision from HQ?
And isn’t it strange that every time a Walmart opens, there are always long lines of people eager to be employed by them?
I’m now wary about negative generalizations when it comes to companies like Walmart. It seems like the anti-Walmart narrative that has taken hold just bears little resemblance to reality anymore.
Anna, no, you’re not wrong. 20 years ago a Walmart opened in the small town I lived in. I needed a part time job, over an above my full time job, to pay off some bills. Wal-Mart hired me, gave me the hours I wanted (yes, I worked evenings and weekends) and if I needed time off for a family matter, the company’s policy takes that into consideration.
Now there is a Super Walmart in its place, and half the people I worked with 20 years ago are still there. The starting wage is around $8.50/9.00/hr in central Texas. And people don’t have to drive the 40 miles to Austin to find work. Now, for a kid who never graduated from high school starting an entry level job, I don’t think that $8.50/hr is bad in a low cost of living area.
Wal-Mart also has a policy of promotion from within, meaning they don’t go outside the company to hire managers but a cashier can work their way up the ladder at Wal-Mart. They also offer health insurance to even part-timers, college reimbursement plans, college plans for your kids, discounts (it was 10%) on all their products, including eye glasses and perscriptions.
But people seem to love bashing Wal-Mart, perhaps due to its success. It seems en vogue, even among some self proclaimed conservatives, to bash big business. They seem to forget that Wal-Mart has a very liberal hiring policy, no gender discrimination, no age discriminaton, no race discrimination. The company is willing to hire you, train you and give you a chance for advancement. If you don’t have a high school education, you can’t go into management, but they will encourage you to get a GED and then you are eligible.
It seems the unions didn’t learn anything from Hostess Brands. Will they not be happy until they have put all American business out of business with their demands?
And I would like to know how the author of this article knows that working conditions are bad at Wal-Mart. Did he ever work there?
I once asked a group of Walmart workers in the sporting goods section (Where I was a frequent purchaser) what they thought of the various complaints.
One was old enough to retire, and the others were well over 40.
All said that Walmart was the best place they’d ever worked, with the best benefits, and with the most understanding management and policies.
Maybe Walmart doesn’t need to change their policies, because it’s so good compared to the competition?
“But for whatever reason, Walmart refuses to offer competitive wages, decent benefits, and good working conditions. They are almost begging the union to come in, and if the UFCW gets their foot in the door, it won’t be long before the entire company is unionized.”
Gee, Rick, why don’t you just call them evil, corporate slaveholders, take up a sign, and join the next Occupy demonstration?
Better yet, hire a few of them at $10 per hour with benefits to help with your blog. Why is it always the other guy’s responsibility to employ people?
if the money is not good and conditions are bad….then DON”T WORK THERE!
Actually, I’m going to agree with Mr. Moran’s assessment. I have heard the “it wasn’t meant to be a career position” so many times it is like a defensive mantra for corporate America.
Some people, due to physical, social or mental incapacities are ONLY able to perform these positions. That IS their career and not by choice.
If companies would recognize, as Mr. Moran correctly points out, that paying employees a reasonable wage and benefits is not a hardship they would take the teeth out of the union’s bite. You don’t need to cave to every single demand. But there is an absurdity in corporate America today where the bottom levels of major corporations can’t even survive week to week on their pay while members of the executive board rake in bonuses and wealth beyond belief.
Labor is not an expense on a spreadsheet, it is people (sorry for the Soylent Green reference).
Henry Ford and Milton Hershey both figured this out. They were successful businessmen who made a lot of money and earned a lot of respect. They minimized the impact of the union shops in their workplaces by using respect and dignity instead. They provided for their employees because they realized that these were actual people with families and lives who were going to be taking care of THEIR businesses and helping them to maintain and run them.
I have been on both sides of this coin too many times to count and I think both sides have valid points, but ultimately it is not about unions or success or wealth. It is about respect. The Wal-Mart employees felt undignified and disprespected. That happens when you have no idea how you are going to pay the next month’s rent and you have been working sometimes as much as 60-70 hours in a week and your check still looks like it will barely fill the car up with gas.
Before anyone starts with the “HDTV, cell phone” argument. Yes there are those who do cry poverty because they are constant consumers and they have no idea how to handle their money. Or they might have addictive problems that destroy everything around them. They certainly can blow it. Those tend to be the exception rather than the rule.
Walmart in particular is very egregious in this. Sam Walton would be rolling in his grave to know how his heirs have taken advantage of a once respectable company. At one point in time, they offered low prices and paid their employees reasonably.
Now it is all accounting and industrial engineering. Employees are not people but mathematical calculations and that needs to stop.
Without a tightly controlled union workforce, you are free to make better decisions about your business. When people trust that you aren’t going to sacrifice their jobs to maintain your bottom line and ensure your year end bonus, they are likely to work much harder for you and the system becomes much much more productive and they are less likely to start looking for representation.
If you can’t do this then a union will setup shop in your business and you will be bogged down in contracts and rules and regulations and strike threats.
If America is going to survive and move back towards a productive free market society, then American corporations need to start caring about American people and recognize that the people are their labor. They need to care about their products as well and move away from the cold academia of widgets and bottom line.
There is a large difference between fiscal responsibility and greed and cronyism. These things are just as destructive to our hopes of a free and prosperous America as OWS and union thuggery are.
If you do run a business or are part of the executive team, take the time to look at who is working for you. Try seeing them as something other than robots to accomplish tasks or simply personnel numbers. Find ways to let them know that you CARE. It is very hard work. There will still be tough decisions regarding layoffs and firings. Those are necessary parts of being financially responsible. But before you do, recognize that they are people and be sure you aren’t using them to gain your own profit. Many smaller companies try to do just that, and in a better economy would be tremendously successful.
America can survive these dangerous waters, but we have to be smart and we have to care. America was birthed because people cared about the freedom of all men who were “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Some people, due to physical, social or mental incapacities are ONLY able to perform these positions. That IS their career and not by choice.”
Look we have social programs to help people like this, so they wouldn’t be dependent upon only WalMart wages to make a life for themselves. But the VAST majority of people working at Wal Mart are not there due to physical, social or mental incapacities. That is a flat out lie.
“flat out lie”
Harsh words, however I did NOT say everyone. And your Scrooge like response “we have social programs” for them. There certainly are programs some very beneficial, but there you have more government dependencies unless you are talking about the wealthy who can pay for them on their own. I have worked with these people first hand, not at Walmart necessarily, but in other jobs. I know what they are capable of and what they are not. No matter the touted “social program” their skills are limited and so are their job choices. So, NO , it is NOT a “flat out lie”.
I also am aware of people, actually working at Walmart who are frugal and do well on what they are making. You seemed to have completely missed the point of my comment which is that corporations on the whole seem to have no regard for the people that work for them and often treat them as nothing but a number. I have seen that first hand as well.
Please be cautious in your response because, although it may be unintentional, you come off as heartless and cold. I’m reminded of a quote, “Well let them get on with [dying] and decrease the surplus population.”
I am no union advocate. I am an advocate for people and caring about them and giving them respect.
There is NEVER justification for a union to come in and try to tell a company how much to pay its workers. Period. If you don’t like the wages offered by a company then you are not obligated to work there. The presence of a union does NOTHING except instill animosity between owners and workers, drive up the cost of business, and siphon money from the workers to pay the lavish salaries of the union parasites, not to mention giving additional contributions to the anti-American democrat party.
I worked my way up in life starting as a paperboy on a bicycle after school. Then washed dishes, waited tables, did fast food, short order cooking, shelved books in a library, worked in a printing shop, drove as a courier, even worked briefly as a day laborer before joining the military. I WORKED to get where I am today and never had the slightest desire to join some marxist peddling union.
It makes me sick to listen to anyone make excuses for unions. There is no right to a job. You have to EARN it. Unions and excessive government regulation/taxes are the reason companies have gone overseas to manufacture goods. There is nothing good ever to come out of any union in the last 60 years. at least. You have only to look at Detriot to see what unions do to a once thriving city. Trumka and his ilk are nothing but thugs and thieves.
“[Y]ou have been working sometimes as much as 60-70 hours in a week and your check still looks like it will barely fill the car up with gas.”–Scot
Been there, done that. Then as now, the fault is government-created inflation.
Wrecking the currency hurts the poor the hardest and the mostest. There’s a lot of blame to go around for both of the US’s incumbent political parties but check your seat belts and tighten your grip folks because only the least part of the damage Obama and his Democrat minions have done to the economy is presently visible. The worst is yet to come.
Micha,
You are very correct in your assessment. I am not wholly blaming corporations, although in re-read it does sound that way. I just wanted people to be alert that corporations do bear some responsibility in how they treat their employees. Year after year, taking huge bonuses at the end of the year because they met their bottom line, and the way they did it was to have layoffs, no pay raises, etc. That is an unfortunate reality in corporate America today as well.
Big government and unionization are not the answer. Responsibility and moral compassion will go a long way on the part of business to solve these crises. John Adams once said our form of government will only work with a “religious and moral people”
When the company was young, Sam Walton made a practice of visiting every store at least once per year. He also bought American-made whenever possible.
After he was no longer active came the era of cut throat bean counter style business. Coincidentally enough this was about the time people like our wonderful (sarc) Sec. of State was on the Board of Directors.
Today they get no sympathy from this guy. They squeeze their suppliers mercilessly, sometimes literally to death. Wal-Mart also has forced suppliers who simply cannot tell them to kiss off to implement “green” practices that are total BS.
I don’t have any love for the union thugs, but I won’t be shedding any tears for Wal-Mart either.
“That happens when you have no idea how you are going to pay the next month’s rent and you have been working sometimes as much as 60-70 hours in a week and your check still looks like it will barely fill the car up with gas.”
This was like a flashback to my days of representing the employer in collective bargaining, so let’s take this union whine apart.
This poor oppressed employee being “forced” to work 60 – 70 hours a week can pay the rent AND fill up the car unless s/he whelped a dozen kids or has a drug habit. Let’s say that the evil corporation, WalMart, is only paying this poor employee the minimum wage of, I think, $7.75/hr. (I don’t keep up with the MW since I haven’t worked for MW since I was about 20). An entry level employee would be FLSA overtime eligible at time and a half for all hours over 40, and even evil WalMart would pay that or they’d be visited by Obama’s myrmidons from the Dep’t. of Labor. So, if this poor employee were enslaved for 60 hours, his gross pay is $542.50/wk and for 70 hours it is $659.90/wk. Pretty much the only places where anybody gets paid only the federal minimum wage are in the rural South and Intermountain West the cost of living will be quite low. Also, employers almost never pay the MW to anyone who’s been employed long enough to demonstrate that they have some notion of coming to work as scheduled and doing what they’re assigned to do, so the only people making MW even in the low cost areas of the Country are people with no work experience or bad references. So, the reality is that $1240/mth. for full time with no OT is barely a “living wage” if that is defined as independently supporting oneself on one income, but that is an unreasonable expectation for someone with a HS diploma or GED, no work experience, no demonstrated skills, or bad references. On the other hand a reliable and hard-working employee that works the OT can make $2000 – $2500/mth. which would enable living independently if not fashionably in a low-cost area.
Ah, the Unions.
The Democrat’s Brown Shirts.
You keep saying “competitive wages, decent benefits, and good working conditions” but I don’t means what you think it means.
Walmart opens, they have lots of applicants and lots of job offer acceptance. That indicates the wages are competitive. The benefits and working conditions don’t seem to be so indecent or poor to cause them to have difficulty hiring.
Nice try, though. I’ve seen that a bit lately here at PJMedia, articles that spin out toward the end to spout the progressive dogma. It’s a bit odd. But it happens, I dropped reading The Economist way back because they developed a serious case of Bush tourettes, especially after they had an editor change. You’d be reading something completely unrelated to the US and bam right in the middle they’d spout off about Bush then back to the regular article.
Hah! For everyone whining about wages and such at WalMart, you’ve just lost your say in discussing the virtues of capitalism.
WalMart wages are what they are because there is competition for those jobs. Simple as that, and even a child should be able to understand the concept.
When folks start bitchin about the work requirements at that company, I have a modest suggestion for ya – don’t apply for a job there! The goal of that corporation is NOT to be an employment agency – it’s to make money!
Of course, with the economy being what it is under the Bamster, competition for those jobs is only going to get fiercer…
Still, I wonder if the WalMart employees who are usually unloading the Hostess trucks are getting a clue here how this particular avenue ends?
I’ve worked in several grocery stores, and Hostess always uses vendors to stock their products, so Wal-Mart employees would presumably have nothing to do with unloading a Hostess truck.
I grew up in a small town with two Walmart distribution centers and one supercenter (in Arkansas, of course). I mostly understand that most of Walmart’s largest turnover problems are in distribution, but they pay extremely well for entry level jobs. In high school, many of my friends and peers would work distribution over a summer. They’d work hard hours and not really have any social life, but they’d come out with some work experience, a good little nest egg of money, and some extra muscle mass from lifting boxes.
It seems that many unions will take a mile when given an inch. I think Walmart sees no problem with unionization in the short term, but they’ve seen (like Hostess and Boeing) that in the long term unions demands will grow, and that the NLRB will never be on their side.
Also, if we really cared about retail jobs going to overqualified applicants who need more than a part-time salary, wouldn’t we get rid of minimum wage laws and child-labor laws? Walmart could more easily hire high school students and other low-skilled employees.
P.S. I think Rick has some valid concerns, but that’s because he’s arguing from a different standpoint than a progressive. Rick seems to be questioning business practices and policies. A progressive would be crying for government intervention to correct this “injustice.”
Companies do well to remember that employees are another kind of customer. Walmart gives goods to retail customers in exchange for money. Walmart also gives money to employees for productivity. I think that Walmart is simply aiming lower income customers in both categories. Walmart gives cheaper goods so that poorer people may afford the goods. Walmart also gives less wages and benefits so that lowly skilled and lowly productive employees can afford employment.
You touched on one thing that Walmart never gets credit for, namely, reducing the cost of living. The money they save by paying lower wages is passed on to the customer in the form of lower prices. When Walmart comes to town, people get jobs and everyone enjoys a higher standard of living because their dollar goes further.
Wal-Mart associates vote down the unions every single year at the Shareholder’s Meeting. Every. Single. Year. The associates themselves overwhelmingly do NOT want unions in the company.
After reading this article, I was heartened to hear people question the negative outlook of Wal-Mart and bring up stories that proved them wrong. I think I shall just add my own perspective:
“Let’s face it; Walmart is not the best place in the United States to work. Wages are low, benefits are niggardly, and working conditions can be outrageous — especially at Superstores. ”
Working conditions: What exactly is outrageous about running a cash register? Or stocking shelves? Or collecting carts? Cart collecting is probably the worst job of the three, since it is exposure to the elements, but it’s not like someone signs up for a cashier position and then gets told they’ll be doing cart-pushing instead! You know going into it that you will be outdoors most of the time! And what is so horrible about running a cash register at Wal-Mart that is so different from running a register at another store? Is it because it is a 24-7 store? You tell your manager when you are available, and they schedule you. So unless you request to work nights, you won’t be. In fact, my husband worked overnight at a Wal-Mart and he got paid more per hour, to acknowledge the fact that working nights is a drain. So outrageous! Is it outrageous to be on your feet all day? Well, gosh, I am a teacher, and I have to STAND to teach! That’s just OUTRAGEOUS!!!! Okay, I think I’ve made my point on this one.
Wages are low: And exactly how much is “too low” for unskilled positions? I have a student (college age) who makes $7.25 per hour for house-keeping at a Wal-Mart. She knows that in order to make a better life for herself, she needs to finish that degree so she can move onto a SKILLED career. And if, for some reason, she does not finish her degree, she’ll still be able to move up through the store in which she works, BASED ON HER PERFORMANCE (I know, isn’t that just so UNFAIR?!) When I was about her age, with a Master’s Degree under my belt, I took a job at Barnes & Noble making (gasp!) $5.75/hour. That was bumped up to $6.25 per hour once I went full time. I would have KILLED to to make over $7 per hour. As I moved through the years, I saw that I would make more money in more skilled positions. Just FYI, a typical administrative position in NW Arkansas starts at about $9/hour – and that requires a certain amount of skill. The rate is about the same in Kansas City, which is definitely more urban. So this young lady is not doing so badly, considering the dearth of schooling required to clean toilets. But it is helping her with her car payments and pay for school.
Benefits are niggardly: Well, costs for insurance are going up – big surprise there – every year. But you do have insurance, whether you are full or part time. In the spring, you get a bonus, based on the performance of the company. You get a 10% on non-food items – and that is a HUGE help in this tightening economy. For the holidays, that is extended towards all items, which is very welcome at that time of year. You get a 401K that the company will pay into, even if you don’t. Wow. Sounds awful so far…how can these poor people stand it?
The fact of the matter is, that the Wal-Mart associates themselves vote every single year at the Shareholder’s Meeting to keep unions OUT of Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart culture is very much a can-do attitude, and does not put up with “so sorry I can’t help you with that…I’m union.” If a job needs doing, you DO it! You don’t stand back and wait for the member of the shelf-stocking union to show up.
At this time, when people are so desperate for work, I think you will find that those who do not show up for work will be quickly replaced. In more robust economic times, people have the option to find other work. Let’s face it, no one dreams of working at the local supermarket for the rest of their lives. College students leave (hopefully because they graduated), folks who need the extra money for this or that make that money and quit. Of course, there are always going to be those stores that are wonderful to work in, and those that aren’t so wonderful, but I think you’ll agree that applies to any retail chain.
Many people choose to stay with the company for their entire working careers, whether it be at a store, distribution center, logistics or the corporate offices. They are happy to be employed by a company that emphasizes “Respect for the individual”, “Striving for Excellence” and “Customer Service”.
I too am a bit taken aback to find a PJ Media article that seems to buy into the liberal anti-Wal-Mart bias and propaganda. Might as well just call the company racist and be done with it. Oh, except you can’t, since Wal-Mart is an excellent place to work as a minority! You are judged on your skills and performance, not your race, religions, color, gender or sexual orientation. In fact, the WBBC protests every year outside of the corporate office, based on the fact that Wal-Mart turns NO ONE away.
I’d love to see the links backing up your stats. That at least would tell me that you are not tapping into the whole “Wal-Mart is the anti-Christ of business”. Of course, I think if you actually contacted Wal-Mart and requested information, you’d find that you are pretty far off the mark…
Full disclosure: Yes, I worked for the company in the past at the corporate offices. I learned a lot there that positively impacted my being able to return to my chosen career of teaching. My husband has worked at stores, distribution centers and the corporate office as well. We live in true Wal-Mart country (i.e. Benton County) in a right-to-work state.
“Wages are low: And exactly how much is “too low” for unskilled positions? I have a student (college age) who makes $7.25 per hour for house-keeping at a Wal-Mart. She knows that in order to make a better life for herself, she needs to finish that degree so she can move onto a SKILLED career.” Kierstin
In my employment experience, most people realize that unskilled positions aren’t careers. I’ve worked a tech/assistant in an ER. Similar to Walmart; hard hours and rough working conditions. Everybody working on my level (below nursing) realizes that they want to go and become more educated. Everyone there either enrolled or looking for enrollment in pre-medical, nursing, or EMT programs and were working there for the experience.
Exactly. And I happen to think that $7.25 per hour is not bad for cleaning toilets and that 10% discount (among other things). Of course, I left my toilet-cleaning days behind when I left Barnes & Noble!
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner, but in the interest of full disclosure, my brother does work for Walmart in an externship. In Bentonville. Pretty sweet job for him, an opportunity to make some great connections.
As much as I despise Walmart, I nonetheless, am not a person who follows blindly along and believes everything told or represented by others. Walmart is a genuine american ‘opportunity’ kind of employer. If you’re the typically generaational employee not worn a damn, then you join the Walmart whiner and hater club. On the other hand, if you’re a decent employee willing to start at the bottom and rise above your competition, there is endless upward mobility within the company for those few.
Walmarts hourly and supervisor pool in a large percetage across the nation represents exactly what is wrong with the nation today. They have no pride, no work ethic and want something more for nothing. Most of their hourly labor pool in many areas of the nation are barely functional illiterates yet, so many demand wages and benefits of the far more educated and skilled. (Keep in mind I’m not being all inclusive relative to all employee or all Walmart locations)
About 10% of our expense budget for food, movies, printer ink, etc., is spent at Walmart. Would be zero except I’m so entertained by the customers in most Walmarts I feel guilty going there and not spending something.
The only thing good about Walmart in my opinion is that they keep thousands employeed whom would otherwise never be hired or if hired, retained by anybody else.
I will not be happy if my house of entertainment is unionized!
Wal-Mart customers are certainly an interesting slice of life!
At least you’re willing to pay for your entertainment…
Why would you despise a story you go to? Why would you go to a store that you despise?
Well, lets see. Where I live there is one big screen movie theater, two nudie bars, a few restaurants with bars, a church on every corner and many more in between, a small hospital, two other grocery stores besides Walmart, one ellectronics store (Radio Shack), a small Chevy, Ford, Chrysler/Dodge and Nissan new car dealership, and 16,000 soldiers.
I haven’t been to a big screen movie since “A Star Is Born” and I don’t drink or go to nudie bars. I am after all, a good deal older than any Walmart greeter you’ve ever seen. Other than that, lets just say I’m to cheap to drive 60 miles to the city to be entertained at the mall or a super Walmart.
I don’t know where or why Mr. Moran is coming up with this “low wages, no benefits, etc.” stuff unless he took if straight off the union handouts. In my area the starting wage for a clerk is around $9.85 hr. (I read in a business paper once that the nationwide average for Walmart starting pay is just over $9.00 And what’s the federal minimum wage now, $7.25 or something like that?
The unions always lie about the health insurance coverage, too. They squawk that very few employees get “health care” (the emotional heart tug for health INSURANCE). And that’s true becauase a large percentage of their employees already have insurance from another outlet, such as Medicare for the greeters and a large percentage of the clerks are spouses of people who already have a family plan. But for those who don’t…. they definitely offer comparable health insurance plans.
Walmart definitely “… offers competitive wages, decent benefits, and good working conditions” to quote Mr. Moran.
I’ve never worked at Walmart, or any other retailer. I just don’t like to see debate of a topic that leans on fables instead of facts.
Rick, if they aren’t offering competitive wages, how are they getting all these people to work there?
True story. My son was washing dishes when he got his GF pregnant. He was 20, living in the Poconos, and got himself a job at a Walmart distribution center loading trucks for 16.50 an hour.
His bennies were great, he could switch to the most convenient shift whenever he needed. Yes, they worked him hard, but they paid overtime and he made a living wage.
He got to 19.00 an hour in a short time, but then forgot to go to work a lot. He lost his job because he screwed up. Now, he has been out of work since I fired him ( I hired him at my plant and he…forgot to show up. A lot).
Why would a company in a podunk place like the Poconos that pays a living wage need a union to ensure that lazy slackers never get fired?
I love my boy, but this is what happens today. He didn’t need union protection, he needed to stop smoking dope and getting girls pregnant.
Hate Walmart all you want, they give people jobs, careers, and the public affordable crap they wanna buy. What’s the problem?
Enjoyed your comments! I’m not a Walmart fan however, as I said in my earlier comment, Walmart is about as good an “opportunity” employer as any other company around. There should be NO national organized labor unions. There should only be State level labor unions organized and ran ONLY by the active employees in the various trades with collective barganing rights — if we’re to have labor unions at all. The interstate commerce clause should have NO legal standing granting labor unions national organization rights.
Indeed, the whole low wages thing has been strongly debunked. My favorite debunking was a 40ish reporter who went to work at a Wal-Mart for 3-6 months just to do the article. It’s a good read if you can find it.
He found that for the work, it was an excellent opportunity, with all the employees there having a reason to work there and trying to work themselves up into something better with the experience they were getting. It was also a little like the French Foreign Legion, with everyone being really polite and kind of avoiding asking him why an obviously well-educated 40ish fellow found himself having to work at Wal-Mart unless he wanted to say.
Let’s face it, retail jobs are no fun. It’s the last point in the delivery chain where you can squeeze another penny out of your costs. I worked at one regional chain store, off and on, for years. It was a job, and I was glad to have it. Eventually, I finished college and was able to find better work.
Wal-Mart has done more to ameliorate poverty in this country than any government program. First, they sell no-frills necessities at the best price available anywhere. Second, they have jobs for people who have no compelling qualifications except a willingness to work. The best of them move on to better things.
I could shop anywhere now, but I still shop at Wal-Mart and enjoy it. I was there today, as a matter of fact. There are other stores that were not as welcoming when I had no money (Sachs, Lord & Taylor, I’m talking to you) who will never see a dime from me now that I have plenty of dimes.
I went on Twitter and chastised PJMedia for running this article and buying into the anti-WM liberal bias. I got the following reply: “please note that articles represent the view of the writer, not of PJM “.
Noted, but as I replied back, I could respect this article and the author’s opposing viewpoint if it were backed up by some reference links. I don’t mind someone with a different opinion or someone playing devil’s advocate, but when you make sweeping statements that are presented as FACTS, by golly, you better back those up? Or what else are we fighting for in the new media?! Let’s leave this kind of journalism to the hacks who work for MSM. There is good basis for an article here, but the bias is not substantiated by facts.
Again, I am gratified to see so many comments by those not drinking the koolaid!
It would be interesting to see what personal experience Rick has with employment at Walmart – relatives, friends, someone whom he actually knew and would be able to take their comments in context. As several have noted, his comments simply don’t square with those of us who have direct knowledge or who have relatives working at Walmart. My sister has worked in floor positions there for over 10 years and has appreciated her job and the people there. I’m beginning to worry a little about pjmedia….
I’ll definitely be checking back in to see if he comes up with anything substantial..an actual fact…
Independent thinkers are beginning to be far and few between in these newer generations. Happy to run across every one of them who shows up on such sites.
I’m a lucky old cuss I supose. I watch MSNBC and FNC and have yet to lose my sanity or ability to remain an independent thinker. The only downside to being an independent thinker is that a lot of propagandists don’t take kindly to you or your opinions. Thats okay though, as I seriously doubt my cause of death will be cited as “propagandist disdainment.”
Keep the *smile*
Your a real piece of work Rick.You really belong over at KOS or the DU because for the last 10 years all I ever read from you is Businesses are crap andSstatistics support every progressive reform out there. Someone at PJ Media really needs to reevaluate tour resume pal.
The vast majority of employees at Wal-Mart have NEVER had health insurance before coming to work at Wal-Mart. Of course, it’s health insurance lite, but never the less, it covers major medical.
Imagine what Obamacare is going to do to their cost. Third largest employer in the World with 2.1 million employees. More part-timers? Higher cost goods? Just to cover slackers in their parents basement at 25 years old & illegal immigrants?
Congrats suckers.
My neighbor took a job at a local Walmart superstore for evenings and weekends to earn extra money and to lose weight and get in shape. So, he accepted the job or restocking the dairy cases. Since he was willing to do the hard work as well as working without a lot of supervision, he was soon asked to move up into a mgt position. He never mentioned bad working conditions, except to complain about some of the other employees who didn’t want to get the job done. Those people didn’t last long.
I sometimes wonder if some of the complainers are people recruited by the unions ahead of time to get a job there and then complain about the job in order to get the union into the store.
My experience in my local Walmart stores, are that they are clean, have good items at a good price with plenty of employees who are willing to work. If I can’t find something, I’ll ask and usually taken to the correct location.
“Rick Moran is PJ Media’s Chicago editor, Blog editor at The American Thinker, and a frequent contributor to FrontPage.com; his own blog is Right Wing Nut House.”
It is readily apparent from Mr. Moran’s bio that he is not a conservative but he is a Republican. This is what enables him to hold completely ridiculous viewpoints as valid.
I will have to make the decision to stop reading Mr. Moran as it is counterproductive to my search for the truth.
Do we really need a RINO perspective here at PJM, PJM?
Interesting question but then it brings to mind yet another question.
Would we be better off having a King and the blogosphere run by the kings Court?
RICK MORAN IS UNION FRIENDLY ; THAT SAID , IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT WAL MART OFFERS YOU AS AN EMPLOYEE , GET A JOB SOMEWHERE ELSE ; THE UNION CLOSED DOWN HOSTESS AND 18,000 WORKERS LOST THERE JOBS ! HOSTESS WAS BROKE ! THE UNION SAID , SCREW YOU HOSTESS AND SCREW YOU WORKERS ! THE UNIONS ONLY CARE ABOUT THE UNIONS ! THEY COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE EMPLOYEES OR THE COMPANIES THAT THEY SHUT DOWN PERMANENTLY ! STICK TO YOUR GUNS WAL MART ; SCREW THOSE GREEDY CONTEMPTUOUS UNIONS !!!!!!!
Since Wal-Mart heirs have funneled money to Obama, I find it hard to care. Let Wal-Mart implode. Or dilute the family shares.